A halogen-substituted benzenedimethanol is an important compound as raw materials and intermediates of pharmaceuticals and agrichemicals, and especially, U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,852 discloses 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzenedimethanol is useful as an intermediate of household pesticides.
As a method for producing the halogen-substituted benzenedimethanol, U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,558 discloses a method comprising reacting 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroterephthalic acid with sodium borohydride followed by reacting with an alkylating agent, sulfuric acid, an alkyl sulfonic acid or an aryl sulfonic acid.